FIVE HUNDRED AIRCRAFT IN THE LARGEST CITATION LIGHT JET

Textron Aviation has announced the 500th delivery of a Cessna Citation CJ4 series business jet, marking more than a decade of the platform and setting up the next stage with the forthcoming CJ4 Gen3. The milestone aircraft was a Citation CJ4 Gen2 delivered to a customer based in the Philippines. The company describes the CJ4 as valued by owner-operators and fleet customers for versatility across missions ranging from business travel to special mission operations.

Lannie O’Bannion, Senior Vice President for Sales and Marketing, said the Citation CJ4 had set the standard in its class for more than a decade and that with the Gen2 and the upcoming Gen3 the company was continuing to invest in the innovation, technology and capabilities customers valued most. He said reaching 500 deliveries was a meaningful milestone reflecting the strength of the platform and the trust customers around the world place in Textron Aviation.

THE GEN3 AND WHERE IT SITS

The Citation CJ4 Gen3 is expected to achieve Federal Aviation Administration certification this year, with the flight test programme having completed more than 880 flight test hours across two test articles to date. It is the largest Citation in the light jet segment and introduces Garmin G3000 PRIME avionics alongside Garmin Emergency Autoland, the system that, in the event of pilot incapacitation, navigates the aircraft to a suitable airport, communicates with air traffic control and lands without crew input.

Emergency Autoland carries particular weight on this aircraft because the CJ4 Gen3 is single-pilot certified. In a single-pilot operation there is by definition no second qualified crew member, which makes incapacitation the segment’s most significant structural exposure and the capability its most direct answer. Textron Aviation has been progressively extending the system across its light jet portfolio; the CJ3 Gen3 prototype, which also carries it, made its first flight in July.

The Gen3 is expected to offer a maximum range of 2,165 nautical miles and a maximum payload of 2,200 pounds, with seating for up to 11 occupants and a 1,040-pound baggage capacity. Textron Aviation identifies air ambulance, maritime patrol, search and rescue and aerial survey among the missions the CJ4 is used for alongside corporate transport.